LUTHER BURBANK 
baby seedlings under glass, and give them every 
favoring condition in which to mature; we remove 
what for ages have been the chief problems of 
their lives—we take over their two prime burdens, 
the burdens of self defense and reproduction. 
“The frosts, and the winds, and the hail storms, 
and the droughts, and the animals are no longer 
the chief enemies of plants; for man, when he 
comes into their environment, is more dreadful 
than all of these combined—if he chooses to 
destroy. 
“And the bees and the birds and the butterflies, 
and the warmth of the sun, and the moisture in the 
soil, fade into insignificance as friendly influences 
when compared with that of man—if it pleases 
him to be a friend. 
“So the geranium still advertises to the bees, 
and the cherry tree to the butterflies and birds, as 
of old. 
“But their main advertisement, now, is an 
advertisement to us; their strongest effort, now 
that we have become predominant in their lives, is 
to lure us with their blossoms and their fruit—to 
enchant us with their odors, and colors, and 
lusciousness, as they formerly enchanted only 
the bees—to win and hold our appreciation and 
affection, and merit our kindly attention and 
care.” 
[110] 
